Luke, Come to the Parkside

If it isn’t apparent by the title, I absolutely love Star Wars. I always carry my stylish R2D2 mug with me.

My trusty R2D2 mug – good for Monday morning coffee

My R2D2 mug has been with me since since high school. I’ve drank coffee from it in my home in Denver, my freshman dorm in Parkside IRC, my internship apartment in Bakersfield, and my sophomore apartment at Cardinal Gardens. I’ve had a lot of fun living in USC housing, so I thought I’d tell you about Parkside IRC and Cardinal Gardens!

Parkside IRC is one of the freshman housing options. Its located in the southwest corner of campus, near the engineering quad. This is really helpful if you are like me, and wake up at the last possible minute to get to class on time. The Parkside dining hall is about 50 feet from the door of IRC, which is also great for quickly stopping for food on the way to class.

IRC is suite style housing. Instead of community bathrooms on each floor like in a typical college dorm, each floor is set up in suites. Each suite has four rooms attached to two bathrooms, each with a toilet, shower, and sink. I really liked this set up, because honestly I was afraid of community bathrooms. IRC provided a little more privacy. The rooms were nice and had plenty of room to do yoga in the middle of the floor, or whatever else you you want to do.

Colorado and Canadian pride on my wall

Our suite drew family pics on the window – you could see it from the street which was fun!

My suite-mates and I became great friends. In fact, this year I’m living with three of them in Cardinal Gardens, and I’ll be living with them again next year in another apartment. IRC was great place to live freshman year for me because it felt comfortable and clean.

This year I’m living in Cardinal Gardens, affectionately called Car Gar. Car Gar is still USC housing, but its apartments instead of dorms, and it’s located just across the street from campus. USC housing apartments are a great way to transition out of freshman dorms. You get all the benefits of USC housing (such as free cable and wifi), but you also have to cook for yourself and clean your apartment. It’s like being halfway to adulthood.

My room decor didn’t change all that much from last year to this year

Cardinal Gardens and Parkside IRC have treated me well, and I’ve had lots of fun living in both places! Good luck choosing where you want to live!